Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-05-01

Hamlins studio. II was queer cor
trast between the studio In Fitzro
Square and the prim household i
Charlotte street. The one dirty
disorderly, strongly favored wit
slang. tobacco, and spirits, with Bo
hemlsn atmosphere of cleverness an,
dsyilry; the other, narrow, precise
convehtionally pious, redolent of te
and tracts. The quiet boy had fa
more in common with the latter, though
be meant TO seize every opportunit,
that the studio offered to make tina
fame for which he longed, and TO whicl
he set his obstinate will. He dislike,
and disapproved of the talk, the smoke
;hs disorder; but he went calmly OF
in the midst Of it, and fixed his min,
firmly on the star Of his hope beyond
He was an odd mixture his stubborn
ness kept him serenely correct in wha
would have been terrible ordeal for
weak or passionate temperament, ant
he was equally unaffected by the fer
vor and fire OF his masters spirit We
ho was always mild, soft-spoken, do
cile.
"You will never be a great artist
lad !" Hamlin cried out one day, letting
hishond fall heavily on his pupils shout
der, as he stood behind him looking a
the chalk drawing on his board
You've fatal facility, but you've nc
devil in you. Every genius must have
devil and angel mixed in him."
Sebastian glanced up and smiled &
little. He did not believe in the words
in the least.
"Was there a devil in Raphael
sir ?" he asked softly.
"Raphael Do you mean TO be q
second Raphael ?" cried the old man,
laughing in bis rough way. But I'm
at times unconvinced of Raphael's ge-
MUS. sometimes think it was
only the consummation of talent.
Yes, you've fatal facility, You have
great industry it is very likely that
you will make money, but you sadly
lack devil. Take TO domestic art, my
lad. Take to the touching-sentiment,
sentiment, that's your line !
eyes, sir. Imean to do so. should
like to make the world sweeter and bet.
ter by my brush.
Old Hamlin grinned, and then made
an odd face.
"Oh, you poor, good prig j" he
muttered into his rough gray beard as
be turned abruptly on his heel.
Sebastian went on with his chalk
drawing of the Discobolus calmly,
smiling a little. He did not in the least
accept his masters dictum he meant
to be a great man, and he said to HIM
self: 81 will raise the love of art mine
shall be always pure"
He went on with that "fatal facility !"
of which the rough artist spoke /; his
drawings were accepted at the Acade-
my, and he became a student there.
He made friends with the few steady
pupils, avoided the rowdy ones, pro-
tested against the necessity of studying
the life model-as may be supposed in
vain. He could not see, he said, why
knowledge of the human figure could
not be mastered from the antique !;
he objected, on principle, to any
other means of obtaining such know
ledge; he carefully concealed from his
good parents in Birmingham, and from
the serious friends there, the awful fact
that he was obliged to draw from the
living, undraped model. His mother
would have had all her Joy in the career
Of her genius completely destroyed if
she had known the dreadful world of
art, the temptation of the studio.
OF course Sebastian was laughing
stock. He was partly unconscious of
bat fact, wholly unmoved by it. The
ong- limbed, thin, rather angular lad,
lad grown into singularly handsome
7ouDg man, with a certain stateliness
If demeanor and sweetness of express
ion ; q deliberate courtesy of manner
which he geographically long brown
ocks curling at the end like his
mothers and features little like those
If the Stuart Charles the First.
He was, in spite of his rather melsn-
holy expression, a lucky fellow, as all
lis companions declared. He never had
my reverses but then he was unexcep-
never deserved any. He
pent no time or money in riotous liv-
ng ; he drew or painted all day /; occa-
ionally went to the play but more
,ften bis relaxations took the form of
spending o quiet evening" with
riends. If the friends had daughters,
le had cordial relation with them but
le kept out of flirtations or lovemaking.
Before he left the academy he OBJ
aimed gold medal /; he got travelling
and visited Italy.
At twenty-three he had his own stu
Ito, and began to fill it with pictures.
When he went home to Birmingham at
Christmas he took his mother present
# one of these, beautifully framed
nd smoothly painted-a Biblical sub
ect-" Ruth Binding the Sheaves."
Mrs. Fellowes shed happy tears over
t. Neither she nor any of her friends
Who were invited to see "dear Sebas-
ian's sweet painting" discovered that
Suth's arm was out of drawing, and her
land too small by several inches. 1t
vas lovely face SO smooth, and with
UGH big, brown eyes, such richly curl
ng locks below the veil; the sky was
o blue and the corn so yellow. Even
he buttonmaker looked at it with much
though he SAID he was no
Judge of such things. In his heart he
at the strange development
4 the FellOwes stock, and supposed it
ras the Mildmay blood-Marianne's
ather, the minister, had published a
COX on the Prophets, and was con-
idered q light in his connection.
1t is true that the next Academy
kyed the only picture they took of Sc
'astian's, but he went on serenely and
lad no fears. He took to painting do
nestle subiects-pretty babies begin
ing to walk, with smiling young
nothers looking on-"The First |
Goth, "Papa's Coming" and such |
Ike and the year following he made
is first hit with them. Three of his
ably subjects were well hung, his reli
ious one of "Christian at the Foot of |
be Cross being rejected.
He felt that it was, as he said, his
Mission to sweeten and purify the
'orld with his talent. Forty years ago |
1T was at low ebb critics were not SO
ritical as they are now the day OF
Universal talent, OF hopelessly over
tocked markets OF genius, had not be-
un. People, especially women, liked |
retty, sentimental drawing-room pic
uroo and Cnhaoisn.a EolIn.,l.. - L